Birthday time

It has been pretty busy around here. Today I told K that we made good use of our Sunday clothes because we went to a funeral, then the temple, then the adult session of our ward conference. It was busy. The week has been that way. But I must share CD's special day. I took more pictures of through out the day knowing that she would want me to blog the day for her but the rest of day's pictures turned out too dark. So I will just use words. She started the day wearing a new outfit to school and a new haircut. She had me deliver her traditional donuts to her classroom and she had a great day at school. Then she went to the doctor. I know it is not the best thing to do on your birthday, but she was actually glad to be going. She had a wart on her foot that needed to be removed and her birthday was when we could get the appt. she had no problems with it so we went with it. (I also had an appointment for T and L at the same time--and CE the next day. $210 in copays spent in two days of doctor's appt. and a few meds.!) After the Dr. she went with a bandaged foot to her tumbling class that she really enjoys. The sore foot didn't seem to slow her down at all. Then after tumbling Grandpa took us all out for Thai food. That is a family favorite and CD was way excited to have some Tom Kha Khay and Som Tum. Grandpa said it was to celebrate 3 things. My birthday (he was in Thailand for that), CD's birthday and the one he was most excited about...the purchase of some documents. Thanks for dinner dad! We all had a great time and thoroughly enjoyed it. My children have all become great fans of Thai food.

After dinner we came back to the house for cake and ice-cream. CD requested a strawberry cake but then changed her mind and wanted lemon. I went to the store the night before and purchased some lemon jello to put in the cake and yet when I went to make the cake I remembered Strawberry and that is what I made. It wasn't until I had just enough time to make a second cake (the lemon one) that I realized I made the mistake so I hurried and made the lemon cake. I got it in the oven just before leaving to tumbling and had L take it out and glaze it while we were gone. Thanks L. She liked having both cakes and they were both gone by the next day.

CE is rocking out as we sing -- we only put candles on one cake--I suppose we could have done both but I didn't think of that at the time....

more jammin'...With her favorite presents...The High School Musical Wii game she absolutely loves. She loves singing and is enjoying the game tons!

6th grade dance

On Wednesday CE's class along with all the other 6th grade classes at the school had a 50's dance. Parents were invited and we sat on the bleachers and watched or wandered around taking pictures. Yep, poor CE had me snapping shots of his first dance. Lots of us moms were doing so. Remember Dance Festival days? It was kind of like that --sort of anyway. The kids all learned different dances, the swing, waltz, etc. They had dance cards that they filled out a few days before the dance to ensure everyone danced. They went around with all the sixth graders and filled out who they wanted. They requirements were that you couldn't have some one on your card more than once and everyones card had to be filled. They had 10 dances on the card in addition to some line dances to songs like "Boot Scoot'n Boogie", "Soulja Boy", "Bunny Hop" and others. The MC announced what song number they were on and had them find their partner, or line up for the others they performed for us. It was a kick. Everyone seemed to be having a great time.

This is CE's calss---he is in the back, you might can see his hair!

Dancing with one of his partners...

Root beer floats for all during a break---This is CE with some of his friends.

During the float break they did the limbo.

The gym was decorated real cute. CE is in the back of this photo in the center.



This girl's mom and I actually drove to the school together. She had to go home earlier though so I took her home and then went back to the school. (It was just too much fun watching....It is not everyday the parents are invited to the dance!) I had to get a picture of these two because she is in our ward and I think that they have been in the same class every year since she moved here in 2nd grade (I think!) Anyway, we all had fun and CE was a good sport with me snapping pictures. I probably took about 40!

Tagged--A to Z

I still haven't done Stephanie's tag with the item photos because I haven't taken the photos! I am lazy sometimes I guess! I know two things I am going to do, and am deciding on the others. But in the meantime, I will post this tag from Sylvia...
A--attached or single? Attached (and happy to have him back in town, he was in Atlanta, GA for the tornado and missed his connecting flight in Phoenix and was stuck there for two days, but he is home now! Ya-hoo)
B--Best Friend? My hubby, K. Love Ya!
C--Cake or Pie? Cake. I like pie, but am particular. Although, I am particular with my cake, too.
D--Day or Choice? Saturday. I get to spend time with my family.
E--Essential Item? According to a recent doctor visit, sun screen. However, I am more apt to remember my sun-glasses.
F--Favorite Color? I don't think I have ever had a favorite color. Is that boring or what! It just depends on the item, the mood, the event---I love the colors of nature-- Purple pansies, peach roses, blue sky, the green forest, golden hay fields, the aqua waters of Cozumel....
G--Gummy Bears or worms? Worms--are they tangier?
H--Hometown? Concord, CA
I--Indulgences? Mrs. Cavanaugh's Mindy Mints, need I say more?
J--January or July? July. I like the sun. (probably the reason for the skin cancer?)
K--Kids? 5 and I wouldn't trade a one of 'em in
L--Life is incomplete without? My husband and my five kids.
M--Marriage date? May 31
N--Number of siblings? I am smack in the middle with an older brother and sister and a younger brother and sister.
O--Oranges or Apples? Store bought? Apples, it's easier to get a good one than oranges. Off the tree? Oranges. I loved the oranges from our tree and sure miss picking them and always having a great tasting juicy orange.
P--Phobias or fears? It used to be dogs but since my husband had a dog when we married, I have over come that fear. Now? My biggest fear is my children and their future. Will they be happy? will they be good people? Will they be healthy? etc.
Q--Quotes? "If you hold a grudge to long, you become mentally deranged." Dr. Phil
R--Reason to smile? Family and Friends
S--Season? Spring. It is the best. Not to hot, not to cold. Fall fits that bill too, but it takes second place for me because I just love the flowers, the blossoms, and looking forward to a great summer. I love fall, but dread it being over because I'm not so kean on winter.
T--Tag 5 people? I don't think I have 5 people that read my blog, and those that do have been tagged already! Now, if you are reading this and aren't one of the known five, start a blog because you are now tagged--and leave a comment and let me know so I can check it out!
U--Unknown Fact? Ummm, I think I gave all those away in a previous tag so now they are known. I did pull my first weeds of the season today. I don't think I've told anyone that yet.
V--Very Favorite Store? It used to be Daisy Dots and Doodles, but they've gone down hill lately which makes me sad. I discovered Heartland Paper Co. which could be my new Daisy's, unfortunately it is a half hour away!
W--Worst Habit? Whining. Yep, I complain way too much. Usually by the end of the day. My knee hurts, my back hurts, why is my house so messy, I'm so tired....you know, whine, whine, whine. I have a plaque hanging in my house that says, "Thou shalt not whine". I tell the kids it is for them and point it out to them quite often, but secretly, I know it is for me, too.
X--X-ray or ultrasound? It depends on what you are looking at! Instinct says ultrasound.
Y--Your favorite food? Thai. It always hits the spot. Although ice-cream does too!
Z--Zodiac? Pisces

House of Envelopes

Last night when I returned from Huntsville (I picked up J who spent the day with his grandparents), CD proudly showed me her House of Envelopes. This model used 26 envelopes. Today after church she practiced making several different "houses", getting rather discouraged when they would tumble before completion. I told her it just makes the completion that much sweeter and more rewarding. She did complete several others--all much larger.

I thought I'd take a picture in case it collapsed---but as you will see, this one did not. She completed it using 100 envelopes. Congratulations CD!

Ta-Da!

Spring, Silly String, Armpit Hair & Drums

Yesterday I had my first blossom in my yard and I had to take a picture. It's a good thing because, this morning when I got up it was covered with snow!

While at the store looking for a birthday party gift, CD had to buy some sillystring (using toothfairy money she has saved from her 4 teeth that recently came out)...CE was sprayed and L captured a bit of it in photo on his head. (It was sprayed OUTSIDE per rules imposed by me!)

CE came running out of the bathroom the other day all excited, "I have one armpit hair! Wanna see it!" I laughed and joked and answered saying, "Sure, I'll take a picture and post it on my blog!" He turned red laughing, then said, "Okay, do it!" So here it is, his first armpit hair. (Actually, he informed me that he had one quite awhile ago but he plucked it. This one he will wear like a badge of honor and maturaty---along with the second that he discovered yesterday.) Can you see it?

Zimzie, from Ghana, came to our school as part of the Arts In Residence program and he taught the third graders some folklore stories and drumming. Yesterday CD performed with the other 3rd grade classes what they learned. Each class performed seperately. Two did a little drumming and one skit, the other 3 classes did all drumming. CD was in the all drumming class. She was also one of the kids that stayed in during recess for two weeks to practice some extra stuff with Zimzie and they did an extra performance at the end. She did a great job and had fun drumming.

Smiling for the camera !

You go Girl!

K missed out on all the above because he has been in Atlanta Georgia. He is scheduled to come home tonight. The weather was terrible in Atlanta with tornado warnings etc. so hopefully it is better today so his flight can leave as scheduled. He has a 1/2 hour layover in Phoenix where he hopes to make his connecting flight. The last time he went through Phoenix, he was stranded for an extra 8 hours. He has seen enough of that airport so we wish him luck this afternoon and we sure are excited to have him back home. We always miss him when he is away. Grandpa comes home in a few days also. He has been in Thailand for the last several weeks. (Yes, we are jealous. He is spending a chunk of his trip in Chang Mei and Chang Rei --I hope I spelled those right---where K spent his favorite times of his mission.)

Happy Birthday to Me (and Izsak!)

At me preschool we sing to the birthday child a cute song "mixing up the batter of the birthday cake, put it in the oven and we watch it bake. Put on the icing and some candles too, it's somebody's birthday. What's your name (child answers) How old are you? (child answers) Make a wish, blow the candle out. Happy birthday to you!" We sang and lit the candle for Izsak at greeting time... and sang and pretended to blow out the candle for me at large group...

Then soon after I got back home from work two of my friends picked my up and took me out to lunch. We went Chinese and had a tropical chicken with mangos, apples, water chestnuts --it was yummy. Then we went for a pedicure. It was my first. On my mission I vowed that pedicure would be the first thing I did when I got home. My feet were always sore and dirty from the miles of walking we did on dirt roads everday. Once I was home, it was no longer so important. But yesterday, I was pampered and had my feet massages, masked, oiled, soaked, and nails painted. My back being massaged in the chair the whole time. It was great! Thanks Maria and Jodee! And thanks to my cell phone camera, since I didn't have my camera with me!

Like my paint job!
Me and Jodee soaking...
I had a picture of Maria also but for some reason it hasn't shown up on my e-mail yet ---I tried sending it from my phone twice, but I guess Maria isn't quite ready for the blog page!

BYU game and Pucker up!

I am a bit slow...this is actually from last Saturday. My dad had 10 free tickets to the BYU basketball game. (BYU won their 46th straight home-court win.) We went down to my sister's in Provo and had dinner then Vince and Daniel came with us while T and JanEtta and Simon stayed home (T got to help babysit and loved it---she doesn'tdo to loud crowds very well at all so was excited to help babysit.) Now family, click on this picture and enlarge it--you may freak out with the red-eye effect, but I want you to look at the guy in the back with the hat. Am I crazy or does it look like Gerald was there at the game with us (along with possibly Benjamin!)

CE and L playing around in the parking lot at the Marriott Center. C cheering on the team--she really enjoyed it!

We were in the stands early--soon the seats around us filled
Down on the court...
C enjoyed cheering on BYU and he and L and CD really got into it... J watched but was more into his MP3 and texting his friends. He was multi-tasking

Below is a bit more current...today Pucker up C! Chase went to the Straw market with his sister and bought a treat---he looked like he was wearing lipstick and I got to tease him...
Eating his hot spicy treat---in other words, applying lipstick.

I've been tagged...

I've been tagged by my sister-in-law and I am finally getting around to answering the questions.

1. What was I doing 10 years ago? The first thing that comes to mind was that I was having hot flashes and told by the doctor that I was going through early menopause in '97 but in Aug. of 98 I was blessed and shocked to find out that I was a few months pregnant with our youngest. In '98 I was a busy mom of 4

2. Five things on my to-do list today-- Get the kids off to school, work, trim some more off the rose bushes (they were hammered from the snow!), take J to get a duplicate of his driver's permit (this actually got booted to tomorrows list since I found out he has an appointment new by tomorrow), laundry, clean the lint out of the vent hose in the back of the dryer (it apparently got a lot trapped and started smoking today--that one was added to the list once we started laundry!) Family Home Evening which I am waiting to begin now. I didn't count but that should be about five--maybe more.

3. What snacks to do enjoy? I suppose the better question would be, What snacks don't I enjoy? Apparently the reasoning behind all my extra weight...and my behind! K and I had a box of mint truffles that were sure good while they lasted...and ice-cream is a common treat. If I am just snacking between meals (a true snack and not a stress relief treat to unwind---yes, I know, I will refer to this in a question coming up...) I love snack on the baby carrots and when I have fruit on the trees in the summer a fresh peach or apricot is always yummy. I really like water too. Does that qualify as a snack? Quite often when I am hungry (or think I am) I go to the kitchen and decide on a glass or two of water, I really do like that.

4. What would I do if I were suddenly a billionaire? Wow, wouldn't that be great! The first thing I would do is get rid of all the nagging debt we have. To think just a few years ago we were completely out of debt (except the house and car). Unfortunately we have had to help support the business a little too much and we have had tons of medical bills (about $5000 we are currently paying on) so that debt would be gone! Including the house and car. Then I would help my siblings and my husband's siblings get rid of their debt also. I'd invest some, set up some sort of charity and/or scholarship fund and I would plan a trip for my family to Thailand and Chile. And of course, K and I would also take the cruise to Alaska we've been dreaming of.

5. Three bad habits of mine? Refer to snacking. It is the late night bowl of ice-cream that gets me. Not exercising enough also. I know they are excuses but that dang knee of mine really hinders my desire. I just hate laying in bed at night with an aching knee keeping me awake --- I do great in the summer time when the pool is open and I can swim. My knee still aches at night but it doesn't hurt in the water and getting out of the heat into a cool pool is a draw. And third, hmmm, I thought about asking K but then I worried what he might say. Some questions are better left unasked! I will say speaking out of turn. I am notorious for not raising my hand in classes, interrupting, etc. (However, I really do try not to interrupt. It is rude.) If I get excited about a topic or emotional about it, I just shout out what I want to say, sometimes without thinking.

6. Five places I have lived? Shall I count backwards? Before we moved here, we lived in Ogden, UT. That is where we lived when we got married almost 20 years ago. Then Provo, UT while attending BYU; Chile while on my mission; Rexburg, ID while attending Ricks College (now BYU-Idaho), Concord, CA where my family moved when I was 8. (Just FYI before that I lived in Provo, Laramie, WY; Pocatello, ID; Rexburg, ID; North Liberty, Iowa; Grantsville, UT and possibly a few other places too. My dad was transferred a lot when I was young.)

7. Five jobs I have had? I have had lots of jobs, I started working the week of my 16th birthday and continued working through college (with the obvious break while on my mission in Chile). I stopped working when my first child was born so I could be a stay at home mom and have been so ever since---but now I do have a job at the district preschool for children with special needs (integrated with reg. ed. children) 3 hours a day/4 days a week. While I was expecting my first child I worked at Davis Learning Center-- a school for children with Behavioral Disorders. I taught Earth Science, English, Art, Biology to 7th-12th graders. I did and internship for one semester at Payson Junior High and was the Resource teacher for Math and English. At BYU I worked in the campus bakery slicing and bagging bread. At Ricks I worked as a cashier at Nordic Landing--the campus snack bar. During the summers and Christmas breaks I worked for Kelly Temp. services at GMAC. I just called GMAC when I was in town and they set things up with Kelly. It was great because my sister worked at GMAC and we would go to work together ---it was also nice to have a job when I was only home for a couple week or a summer. My first summer home from Ricks I worked as a Bank Teller. I worked at a preschool from Dec. to March in '84 while I waited to enter the MTC. In high school I worked at A&W as a carhop. I was there 2 1/2 years. That was a fun job. My senior year I only worked there on Saturdays and M-F I went school 1/2 day and in the afternoons I worked as a receptionist at a law firm in Walnut Creek. I now that was more that five, but I ramble. I should have listed that under my bad habits!

8. Five things people don't know about me? That is a good question. I am pretty much an open book. It has to do with that rambling thing I do. I know one. This I haven't told anybody...so here it goes. When I was 4 or 5 I stole a candy bar from my friend's house. It was in a kitchen drawer and it looked so good. (refer to snacking again---) I felt so guilty that I cried myself to sleep. The next day when I was at her house I took a dime of mine (the cost of a candy bar back then) and I put in the drawer. I never did get up the courage to confess though. I guess since I was only 4 or 5 I will be okay come judgement day...that still bothers me though.
#2 I like hot showers but I don't like long showers. My knee starts to bother me and I get light headed....plus I see a long shower as a waste of time and water. That is probably my dad whispering in my ear. #3 Some people know this, but not many. I ran in a 3-K once which was huge for me. I preferred to run in the dark early morning or late at night. The distance was no trouble because I regularly ran more than that. I was so nervous standing with my number and waiting for the race to begin that I cramped up real bad---I can't remember if I threw up or not but I know I felt like it and I hurt so bad that I needed to walk most of the way. It was humiliating as a mom with a stroller passed by me. What can I say, I wasn't meant to run in crowds. #4 Oh I know one! I know no one knows this because it is new. I went to the doctor today (I forgot to put that on my list of things to do today!) and tomorrow I start taking medication for my high-blood pressure. Bummer huh. Today at the office it was 138/93. Better than the day I made the appointment 150/97. I really need to get exercising. I gave J and K the assignment a month ago to bring up the health rider and move down my recliner. It isn't done yet, but I am working on it. #5 It is hard to think of things that people don't know! This one though, I think only JanEtta knows because she was in my ward at the time. I used to have a calling (possibly the only person in the church to have this as a calling!) to decorate the table for the Relief Society lesson on Sundays. I was to find out what the lesson was on, talk to teacher to see if she wanted anything specific, and I got the table cloth, visual aides, center piece, all needed to make the table up front beautiful and lesson friendly.

Cool School of the Week!

Yes, the High School was featured as the Cool School of the Week. I got a call saying that J need to be at the school at 7:00am with other leaders of PTSA to meet with Big Budah and be interviewed regarding the Service project they have been working on. (See J!)
Although not interviewed on camera, you can see him in the background so I downloaded a few shots for all to see...I actually missed it. After dropping him off I went right home to watch on TV but the "ding-a-ling" in me came out as I sat and watched the wrong channel for 1/2 hour. By the time I made the correction, Big Budah was on to other groups in the school--so I caught it on line.
Here is some of the stuff they have collected--to the left is a picture book that about 1oo students helped make. I actually helped supervise that (me and one other lady) as we spent 2 hours with the student putting them together. The stripped bag is one of 400 school bags made (remember my blog when I was sewing some?) the bags were filled with some of the above items. Also collected was some sports equipment (note the orange soccer ball)...